How does advocacy make a difference?
Justice is an Islamic virtue. As Muslims, we have an obligation to speak out against injustice, stand up for the oppressed, and tackle the root causes of suffering worldwide. Advocacy is one part of our fight for justice.
Why participate in advocacy?
- Advocacy dials up the pressure on elected politicians to engage with the community and their concerns, better representing our voices in Parliament
- Advocacy can be a powerful educational tool to help raise awareness
Do advocacy campaigns even work?
Islamic Relief Canada has seen advocacy successes through our past advocacy efforts.
Aid for Afghanistan
In 2022, we launched the Aid for Afghanistan campaign with other leading Canadian aid agencies. This campaign came after Canada restricted charities from continuing their operations in Afghanistan.
We were overwhelmed by the community's support and so pleased when the government amended the Criminal Code — enabling Canadian organizations to provide critical humanitarian support in Afghanistan!
Access to Aid
We launched our Access to Aid campaign in the fall of 2023, which received over 100,000 email signatures from our community across Canada. This campaign called for our government to demand a ceasefire and provide Gaza with unimpeded humanitarian access to aid.
Islamic Relief Canada held a press conference on Parliament Hill and engaged in dozens of parliamentary meetings. The collective pressure and advocacy efforts from all fronts led to the government finally making the call for a ceasefire.
We believe in the power of advocacy and the change our collective voices can make.
What is the situation on the ground in Gaza?
As of October 11, 2024, over 42,065 Palestinians have been killed, 97,886 injured, and 1.9 million displaced in the Gaza Strip. The death toll could exceed 186,000, according to a study published in the journal Lancet.
The situation in North Gaza remains catastrophic. 500,000 people in the northern region of the Gaza Strip are threatened with famine, with diseases rapidly spreading due to lack of water and nutrition.
UNRWA has reported 800 to 1,000 cases of hepatitis weekly, totalling 40,000 cases since October. Polio, a disease easily prevented through vaccines, is sweeping through besieged Gaza in what is being termed an epidemic.
Over 300 days into Israel’s war on Gaza, the humanitarian catastrophe is only worsening:
- 10% of Gaza’s population is killed, injured, or missing
- An average of 131 Palestinians have died daily since October 7, 2023
- 86% of Gaza is under forced evacuation orders
- Nearly 85% of school buildings have been damaged
- 70% of water and sanitation facilities are significantly damaged
- 72% of Gaza’s housing units are damaged or destroyed
How much money has Islamic Relief spent in Gaza?
As a global family, Islamic Relief has been able to send $41M CAD into Gaza since the escalations began in October 2023. The money is transferred to our implementing partner Islamic Relief Worldwide in the United Kingdom, which is then transferred to Islamic Relief staff in Gaza through local partners.
Our staff in Gaza are using your donations to locally procure food, hygiene supplies, bedding, and any other essential item we can source. They screen and contract local suppliers and partners, who procure either locally or through private trading routes between Gaza and Egypt. With the level of our procurement, donations are routed through wire transfers to their Palestinian bank accounts.
If the Rafah crossing is closed, how is aid getting in?
Although the Kerem Shalom and Rafah borders are temporarily closed, aid routes remain open. Aid continues to enter and reach Palestinians through the Beit Hanoun crossing at North Gaza.
In partnership with World Food Programme, Islamic Relief remains operational and continues providing lipid nutrient supplements and hot meals to vulnerable rightsholders within the Gaza strip.
What is Islamic Relief doing with ongoing donations?
We continue to fund ongoing aid to address the immediate needs of entire communities in Gaza, with some examples listed in the previous section.
In Ramadan, we distributed hot iftar meals to families in need. These meals consisted of nutritious and culturally appropriate food items, ensuring that recipients could break their fast in a dignified manner.
During Dhul Hijjah, our Qurbani in Gaza prioritized sourcing high-quality animals in Egypt and completing the sacrifice there, before freezing the meat and transporting it for distribution in Gaza. Your Qurbani sacrifice has reached 118,710 people in Gaza.
For the additional funds that are coming in and those we are unable to use at the moment, we are assessing opportunities to invest in long-term development programming, including rebuilding efforts. Sustainable development programming is just as vital as providing emergency relief, so your donations will be used to uplift communities.
If supplies are running out, how is Islamic Relief procuring them?
Prices in Gaza have surged dramatically, often experiencing markups of 100-300% above normal rates. Supplies, though limited, are available but at a cost unaffordable to most. But this is where your donation makes the biggest difference! Your donations allow our team on the ground to secure essential items from local markets and suppliers and make them available to the people of Gaza – despite the limited supplies and surge in prices.
Most of our current interventions have relied on local procurement, but also procurement through Egypt. Islamic Relief has successfully facilitated aid trucks entering Gaza through the Egypt border crossing, which has helped to alleviate some of the pressure on the ground. We are also actively exploring additional avenues of aid through various border crossings.
We are also sourcing other essential items locally. For example, Islamic Relief recently installed locally sourced and constructed portable toilets in Rafah. The initiative was part of our efforts to address urgent sanitation needs in the area. It's important to note that while certain goods, such as food aid, remain a priority, other essential items, like sanitation facilities, are also prioritized to ensure basic needs are met.
Despite the obstacles, we remain committed to ensuring that critical aid reaches those in need in Gaza.
What long-term projects do we have planned?
In the current context, we primarily focus on addressing the need for immediate and life-saving support. The viability of sustained, long-term efforts hinges on maintaining consistent and secure humanitarian access. This is an unattainable position without an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
Although plans are subject to change, we anticipate long-term activities to encompass livelihood initiatives such as cash-for-work and multi-purpose cash programs, as well as commitments to water, sanitation, and hygiene projects. We will likely extend our current psychosocial support programming for children to include entire families, focus on providing tailored therapy and care, and expand on recreational activities.
What areas is Islamic Relief working in?
Islamic Relief is presently active in Rafah, Khan Younis, Deir Al Balah, Zawayda, and North Gaza.
Our emergency response efforts are being conducted in collaboration with local partners: one operating in the Middle Area, another serving Rafah and Khan Younis, and two partners distributing hot meals in North Gaza. Each partner is assigned Islamic Relief staff to oversee project implementation.
I have family in Gaza, why can't you help them?
We understand the desire to direct aid to specific individuals, however, to maintain equal access, we are unable to fulfill such requests. We consistently work to diversify our distribution points, ensuring that aid reaches as many people as possible.
It is important to note that no person will be denied aid at our distributions; however, our commitment to equity drives us to prioritize equal access for all. Our focus remains on supporting shelters to the best of our ability and providing assistance through our local partners.
